1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to vehicle accessories and, in particular, to an attachable carrier for holding flexible bags.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described herein for purposes of illustration, this invention relates to an attachment for a vehicle which enables flexible bags such as those plastic bags used in retail stores for containing customer purchases to be attached to the carrier for transportation in the vehicle while preventing the bag and contents from moving about inside the vehicle and frequently spilling the contents.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of various devices for attachment to a vehicle or to other structures for securing a flexible bag and its contents are disclosed in the prior art such as, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,582,650; 5,137,158; 5,287,971; 5,415,457; 5,427,288; 5,484,091; 5,769,294; 5,863,092; 5,927,800; 6,092,704 and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 322,927. Each of these patents, and the references discussed therein, describe various structure which is secured to a support and utilized to retain articles such as garment hangers, bags and tie downs for various containers.
As is well-known, the strong paper bags made of kraft paper heretofore commonly used for such things as bagging groceries in supermarkets, have been substantially replaced by bags made of plastic-film material having an opened mouth and provided with a pair of upwardly extending handle loops. These plastic grocery bags, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cT-shirtxe2x80x9d bags are made of a thin plastic material with cutouts at the open end to form the two handles for carrying the bag. These lightweight recyclable plastic bags are a boon to the retailer for providing an economical method to transport merchandise from the store. However, unlike a paper bag or cardboard box with rigid confines, such plastic bags have no vertical sidewall stability and collapse to the floor when placed in a vehicle. Any groceries or other merchandise in the bag which does not have a flat surface, will have a tendency to roll out of the bag during vehicle acceleration, braking or cornering. Consequently, the consumer must then gather up and repackage the various articles which were contained in the bag when the journey began. Bottles, cans and fruit are especially prone to such redistribution. Should any of the articles spilling out of the bag be fragile or breakable, the purchaser may be faced with cleaning up a wasteful and unsightly mess.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,582,650 various hook structures are disclosed which are clamped over the back of the rear seat of a vehicle to permit garment bags to lie flat against the seat back.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,158 discloses an article support apparatus mounting using magnetic and suction members to provide selective securement to the trunk lid or truck bed wall of a vehicle including suspended hooks for receiving coat hanger members for transporting garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,971 discloses a rack for supporting loaded grocery bags which is installed in the trunk or cargo compartment of a vehicle and has at least one raised horizontal bar with the ends thereof supported on legs. A series of hooks formed of a resilient spring wire having a u-shaped bend therein define a dilatable clamp, for retaining the bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,457 discloses an attachment to a vehicle seat back comprising a back wall insert which is secured to the vehicle seat back and an integrally mounted subassembly which includes a row of spaced-apart mounting hooks and mounting flanges extending through the seat back insert with a retaining wire threaded through one of the rows of flanges.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,288 discloses a plastic grocery bag holder rack for use in a vehicle that consists of a horizontal telescoping spring-loaded rack which is engageable with vertical support walls of the vehicle and has a plurality of hooks deposed along its length for receiving the handles of conventional plastic grocery bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,091 discloses a vehicle cargo organizer which includes clips formed in a collapsible frame used as the trunk cargo floor of a vehicle, or as part of a rollout load floor for utility vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,294 discloses a recessed accessory hook for use in an automobile wherein a stowable accessory hook is supported in a surrounding wall structure with the hook tips recessed behind the peripheral rim of the surrounding wall structure, or the structure manually rotatable about a horizontal pivot between stowed and operative positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,092 discloses a bucket seat including a hanger base which is mounted to a plurality of structural seat members and having a plurality of inverted u-shaped cutouts which define projections for hanging articles such as plastic shopping bags.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,800 discloses a theater trash bag which is secured to a bracket attached to the bottom forward portion of the theater chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,704 discloses a bag and accessory handling system wherein a pivotal rack is supported from the back of a vehicle seat to be elevated into a position for use in hanging bags when legs positioned at the free end of the rack are folded down to engage the vehicle floor for support. In an alternative embodiment the same structure is secured to the underside of the vehicle trunk lid.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 322,927 discloses an ornamental design for a hanger for a bucket or similar article.
None of the devices described in the foregoing patents are directed to a simple, inexpensive, convenient accessory device for use with various types of vehicles which may be conveniently attached to the vehicle when needed, and then removed for storage when not in use.
It is an object of this invention to improve vehicle accessory attachments for hanging flexible bags, for example, those plastic grocery bags filled with groceries or other items.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive attachable accessory for attachment to a vehicle to support flexible bags and the contents contained therein which may be readily installed in the vehicle and removed therefrom as needed.
A further object of this invention is to provide a convenient attachable and removable accessory for hanging flexible bags such as plastic grocery bags when filled with groceries or other items during transportation in a vehicle to prevent the contents thereof from spilling during transport.
These and other objects are attained in accordance with the present invention wherein there is provided a readily attachable and removable hanger for supporting flexible bags such as plastic grocery bags filled with groceries and other items, for transport in a vehicle. The bag hanger includes a plurality of shaped hooks and is engageable with a portion of the vehicle for use when transporting filled grocery bags, but may be quickly removed when not in such use.